Broken Gears
by fantasiedreamar
Summary: Leo ran through the forest, wincing as thin tree branches cut open his flesh. Stones and rocks cut into his bare feet.- Leo was seriously regretting his decision not to wear shoes.- Leo saw a clearing up ahead. Dread filling his stomach like acid. He could just make out the tops of the cabins... rated T... not a Leo/Piper fic...


**So... this is the longest one shot I've done! whoop! **

**hope you like it and please remember to review if you did!**

Leo was depressed and he new it. With each passing day Leo found it increasingly harder to smile and laugh, his eyes would linger on the dagger beside his unmade bed a bit longer than he would like. The fire in his eyes would flicker out from time to time and he would spend his days cooped up in bunker nine. Scared of what the others might think when they see him falling apart.

Leo sighed and looked down at the project he was working on. It wasn't perfect. Leo let out a frustrated growl and picked the machine up with his oily hands and threw it across the room where it shattered into unfixable pieces. Leo looked at the remains on the ground, finally calming down. Leo shut his eyes briefly but snapped them open again when his mother's face of which was morphed into one of agony and betrayal appeared. Leo blinked away the tears blindly searching through the work shop for something to do, desperate for a distraction so he could forget the sight of his mother's burning body and sounds of her crying.

"Leo?" a delectate voice asked from outside.

Quickly Leo sobered up "be right there beauty queen" he said cheerily, hoping that it would convince the daughter of Aphrodite that he was okay.

Wiping the tear stains from his face - wiping oil onto his cheeks in the process- Leo walked over to the metal door and unlocked it. Leo smiled at piper who smiled back –piper always seemed to cheer Leo up, must be the charm speak- Leo looked to her right to find Jason standing there blue eyes focused on Leo.

Leo gulped "so why are you here?" he asked innocently hoping they would just leave.

"Leo" Piper said adopting her mother voice "what's wrong"

Leo looked down biting his tongue to stop himself from answering. Damn charm speak. "Nothing" he bit out swallowing down some of the blood that produced its self from his tongue.

Looking a bit pissed Piper decided to push on further, desperate to find out what was wrong with her friend. "Come on Leo you can tell us, we're your friends"

Leo looked up to find only Piper. Leos mouth twitched down in confusion as his eyes scanned the forest "where's Jason?" he asked. His eyes met Piper's apologetic ones. "No" Leo whispered as he looked behind him. Jason was there, blocking his sanctuary. His humble abode.

"Leo please tell us!" Piper pleaded, bottom lip trembling and eyes wide, hating that she had to use some Aphrodite charm to get Leo to speak.

But Leo wasn't having any of it. As soon as Piper was distracted with the thoughts in her mind, Leo ran off.

"Leo!" came Pipers cry but fell on deaf ears.

**_-Line break-_**

Leo ran through the forest, wincing as thin tree branches cut open his flesh. Stones and rocks cut into his bare feet.- Leo was seriously regretting his decision not to wear shoes.- Leo saw a clearing up ahead. Dread filling his stomach like acid. He could just make out the tops of the cabins.

Skidding to a stop at the edge of the forest, Leo looked around to make sure no one saw him. He must be a mess. Leo thought as he looked down at his blooded feet, arms and legs. Leo winced as he put pressure on his right foot. Great.

"Leo?" a male voice asked. Leo whipped round, only to face the savour of Olympus himself.

Leo smiled at Percy thinking he could get off easily. Annabeth doesn't call him seaweed brain for nothing. "Hey there Ariel!" Leo replied cheerfully.

"What. Happened. To you?" asked a female voice from his left. Leo inwardly cursed. Of course Annabeth would be here to! Stupid! Stupid. Leo put on his best cheesy smile.

"Like what you see Annie!" Leo said winking. But Annabeth just rolled her eyes.

"Leo!?" shouted a voice in the woods. Paling Leo turned towards the couple, smile wavering slightly.

"Well got to go!" Leo said as he dashed off leaving a confused Annabeth and a clueless Percy behind.

"Something's wrong with Leo" Annabeth muttered pulling herself closer to Percy's chest.

"Really he looked fine to me" Percy responded. Annabeth untangled herself from Percy's arms and looked at him with her eye brow raised.

"Come on seaweed brain" Annabeth said as she pulled Percy the direction Leo ran off to.

**_-Line break-_**

Leo didn't bother looking back when he ran off –again- his main focus was getting to his cabin and packing up his, well nothing. But he wanted to write a note apologising. For everything.

Finally he approached his cabin; smoke was erupting from the gigantic chimney that stood proudly on top of the metal built cabin. Checking through the window to make sure no one was in Leo snuck in. Stupid really, sneaking into his cabin but he felt to out of place among the big, bulky, muscled girls and boys. Even Harley had more muscle than him!

Un-crumpling a piece of yellow tainted paper from the draw next to his un-touched bed Leo began to write:

**_Dear. Well who ever decides to read this…_**

**_I'm really sorry for not being perfect. I tried so hard to smile and laugh but it's just got to hard. I can't close my eyes anymore without seeing my mother or Gaia. I'm scared that one day I might explode and hurt everyone i care about. I always end up hurting the people I care about._**

**_I'm sorry, so sorry. Please look after Festus and Budford for me. _**

**_Don't come looking for me._**

**_Please…_**

Leo placed the note carefully onto his bed. This was it. Good bye. A cruel tear ran down Leos sotted cheek. Sniffling Leo turned, wanting out of the place that caused him so much grief.

Stepping out of his old cabin Leo checked for any sign of Piper or the seven. Surely Piper would of alerted them by now. Or maybe she didn't care. Of course she didn't! Who was he kidding; no one loved him he was a diablo. un monstrou. With those thoughts planted deeply in his messed up mind Leo ran. Pushing passed surprised and annoyed campers, not muttering any Kind of apology. Just ran forwards.

Leo could see Thalias tree in the distance, his legs were on fire, his ankle shattering and his chest felt like he consumed stones.

"Leo!" cried a group of voices. Surprised Leo glanced back to find; piper, Jason, Percy and Annabeth all running after him. Suddenly Leo's legs gave out under him. He tripped on a branch. Stupid.

He heard shouts of alarm as his body collapsed and his head smashed against the ground with a sickening thud.

"Oh gods…" was the last thing Leo's damaged brain could hear.

**_-Line break-_**

Leo woke up, it was dark and cold. Confused Leo got up, wincing at the pain that never came. Leo's eyes widened. He was bare foot on a pavement facing a small, work shop. Curtains drawn and a steady glow of orange coming from inside.

"Mamma!" a child's voice screamed from inside. Finally Leo's head snapped up from the daze he was in.

"Mamma mamma!" the child's voice screeched, laced with pain and hopelessness.

It hit Leo like a speeding truck. The work shop looked scarily familiar. An old rusted bike lay amiss in the finely cut grass -It was his old bike-.

Before Leo could think, his already tired legs hurled him towards the door. Without checking to see if it was open –he knew too well that it was unlocked- Leo hurled himself inside immediately chocking as he inhaled a breath of thick smoke. Leo Blindly made his way to the main work shop area –he knew the route off by heart- he could hear the agonising screams of his mother and the pleading ones of his own.

Eventually Leo arrived. A boy no older than five was sprawled out on the stone floor flames licking at his skin but making no marks. Leo looked towards the door, to his horror he could see through. His mother was lying there. Face twisted in one of agony and despair. Her burnt corpse in a heap stretching out towards the door. Leo wanted to vomit. Leo cried out as the mutated face of his mother turned towards him.

"_This is your fault!"_ she whispered picking her burnt body up from the floor. _"Your fault!" _she screamed running towards him.

**_-Line break-_**

Leo woke up screaming, scaring all the people in the infirmary. "Leo? Oh gods you're awake!" said a light male voice, which Leo figured was Wills. Leo zoned out trying to erase the scene playing again and again in his mind.

A gentle hand touched his bandaged one. "Leo?" Piper said softly as to not startle her friend. Leo looked at her. Frowning.

"P-Pipes?" Leo stuttered blinking furiously at the girl in front of him. It wasn't real, it couldn't be!

"I'm right here" she said gently, stroking the back of his hand. Leo sighed and laid back down.

**_-Line brake-_**

Everyone was nervously fluttering over Leo. He had fell asleep just before they came in now he lay peacefully under white burnt sheets.

"I feel like I should have done something!" Piper cried holding onto Jason's built form for dear life. Jason rubbed her back in circular motions.

"Pipes none of us knew okay, it wasn't your fault!"

"But I've known him for the longest! Why wouldn't he come to me, I would of helped!" Piper resumed her sobbing into Jason's grey shirt.

"Uh guys" Percy said as he pointed to the awakening figure of Leo Valdez. In a flash Piper was there by his side holding his hand.

"Piper?" he croaked out, glazed eyes searching for her own. "Piper!" he shouted franticly as he sat up, arms failing around him, bed sheets on fire. "Piper! Piper!" he screamed as he clawed the air.

Piper went into mother mode. "Shh Leo, I'm here, I'm here." She gently sat by him, not caring if she got burnt, and started rocking him gently. "Its fine Leo I'm here" she added her charmspeak just in case.

"Mamma?" the broken boy whispered, eyes still closed.

Piper looked around franticly, unsure whether to respond or not. Sighing at her friend's unhelpful expression she answered carefully. "Yes mijo" she remembered Leo muttering about his mother or 'mamma' calling him that.

The effects where immediate and not in the way Piper hoped. Leo started crying. Sobbing tears of sorrow into Piper's camp half-blood shirt.

"I'm sorry mamma I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!" he wailed holding on even tighter. Piper rocked Leo back and forth whilst he was muttering under his breath.

Piper remembered Leo telling him that his mother got killed in a workshop fire when he was little. Poor Leo blamed himself.

Piper thought her and Jason convinced him that it was Gaea's fault not his, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"It wasn't your fault mijo, ok. None of it was your fault" Piper whispered in his ear and she combed through his hair with her fingers. "Don't blame yourself Leo; I'm happy now, and safe. I'm waiting for you mijo I'm waiting." Piper gently kissed Leo's forehead and laid him down onto the bed again, signalling to Will for more sheets.

"Goodbye mamma"


End file.
